1. Field of the Invention
The invention is applicable to a magnetic-strip card, a diskette, a cassette or similar, and is basically an element fitted with an interface which can be inserted into Electronic Data Processing (EDP) equipment such as a magnetic read/write unit, diskette-drive, cassette-drive etc.
2. Background Information
In general, magnetic-strip cards are used in systems such as cash-dispensers, door-openers, automatic-timing systems etc. A disadvantage is that the magnetic-strips currently in use can quite simply be read by non-authorized users or even copied and/or altered. For this reason access to the above mentioned types of EDP-equipment by non-authorized users cannot always be prevented with certainty at present.
Cards the size of a magnetic-strip card with a built-in processor can already be produced (Smart card). However, these type of cards can only be used in EDP systems equipped with special interfaces (with or without contacts) through which data can be exchanged between the card's processor and the EDP-equipment.
Typical EDP systems making use of diskettes, cassettes or similar data storage devices are computers, and personal computers (PCs) in particular. These are equipped with diskette or cassete drives according to which type of system is being used, with a read/write unit or head. This enables the data and programs stored on the data storage device to be read and transferred to the computer and additionally, to write programs and store data on the data storage devices. In this way one can store data and programs which are required in the computer on external storage devices. The disadvantage of the usual diskettes or cassettes is that they can easily be copied. For example, programs under copyright can be reproduced without paying license fees or restricted information can be copied and passed on to non-authorized persons.
At the same time it is impossible to be certain whether programs stored in a data storage device are in fact the original or whether they may have been tampered with by so-called computer-viruses or may contain a "trojan horse". To verify user-identities and/or to encrypt/decrypt data, plug-in boards for the databus or micro-channel of the computer are generally in use. However, these type of cards are expensive to produce and install and require hardware and software which has to be re-developed for each different type of computer system.